But, on the other hand, what is this ice doing to my perennial beds? And yours? I can't wait for the inevitable change in weather, so I went out with a shovel and broke up the ice. Really. I don't have any scientific reason behind my actions, just intuition. And it made me feel better.

House plants offer a touch of elegance to our interior spaces. Before the outdoor gardening season gets under way, you may want to take a good look at what you have and where they are placed. If a plant is not responding in its current location, move it. Simple.

I turned my attention to three epiphytic cactus huddling in a corner of the living room. They are commonly known as holiday cactus or orchid cactus. They love to be pot bound and bloom very reliably under those conditions. But they were, unfortunately, pot bound in really ugly pots. And I have been looking at those ugly pots for 10 years. Ten years.

So I took action and splurged on three cobalt blue pots with matching saucers. They are just a tad larger than the pots they were in. Fresh soil was added to the bottom and tucked all around the edges and very well watered. This was accomplished by putting the plant under the shower. They look so very much happier. Or is that me? One drawback -- they are all in bud. I expect those buds to drop off and the plants not to bloom for at least a year. These plants are tough, they will survive this transition and, in the meantime, they will look lovely in their new pots.

Make sure your African violets are happy. The days are longer and they are looking forward to blooming their hearts out in a matter of weeks. Now is the time to get them showered and ready for the coming spring. It really is a little late to repot them. If you do that now you may be missing out on the bloom show. If they need repotting wait until after they bloomed like mad. Late this summer would be a better time to tackle that chore.

Take them to the kitchen sink and, using the hose, rinse them off, water deeply and feed them if you haven't been doing that. Really, they love this. Give them a gentle shake to remove excess water and put them back on their favorite windowsill.

My knowledge on houseplants is limited, but what I have experienced is that a good shower will make almost any of them look a zillion times better. The winter has been long, and certainly is not over yet. But as the days lengthen, your houseplants will attempt to respond. Give them a chance by cleaning them, cutting off anything that looks dead, spindly or misshapen.

On to the outdoor gardening season, which really will happen: The supplemental lighting is up and running. I don't depend on the windows to provide enough light for my seedlings. I know that I encourage you to buy your seedlings, but for those of us who just have to get started gardening, the seeds have met soil. Tomatoes, artichokes, cucumbers and basil. Four lettuce plants are started and every 10 days I will start four more. Just enough to make two people happy all summer long.

These plants are all destined for the greenhouse. Heat will be provided about the second week of April, depending on the weather. I used to fire it up March 17. No more. March is too brutal a month to trust a greenhouse to hold enough heat. So I have saved myself a lot of hand wringing and pushed the date to April.

The tuber begonias are looking just excellent. They have been retrieved from their hibernation, potted up in fresh soil, well watered, put on a windowsill and they are responding with their characteristic gusto. Thank heavens for tuber begonias.

But if you follow my advice and buy your seedlings from any of the reliable local sources, you have lots of time to continue to ponder just what it is you want to plant in your vegetable garden this year. Because you will have a vegetable garden this year.

Think about what it is you want to eat. The seed racks are up. You don't need catalogs or the Internet. You just need to take action, and not much at that. The seeds offered in the racks will grow here. Don't worry about one brand over another, just buy a packet of lettuce, radish and peas and go for it. Add a few seed potatoes when they are offered and you are a gardener. There, I even did the thinking for you.

Look around now for the spot for your plot so you are not out there in late May wondering wherever are you going to put it. Full sun, out of the wind (good luck on that one) and think through a fence before the moose eat your harvest (which you are sure to have) the day before you do.

In the meantime, glory in this glowing snow/ice, the likes of which is seldom seen.

Rosemary Fitzpatrick has been gardening with gusto in Homer for 30 years. This year marks the 19th anniversary of her column.